The setting: Minneapolis. The month: February. So you knew that Jack Frost would be in the air Friday night, nipping at toes, noses and other exposed flesh as the Los Angeles Lakers unbundled at the visitors’ end of Target Center for their game against the Timberwolves.

Jack’s buddy Sammy Sarcasm showed up for the event, too.

He was there when reporters approachedPau Gasol to ask about his starting gig in place of ailing Dwight Howard, who had flown back to L.A. for treatment on his right shoulder. Said Gasol: “Big news. Headlines. Exciting.”

D’Antoni offered a way for Gasol to get over the disappointment of getting shuffled in and out of the Lakers’ starting lineup.

“Pay him $19 million. I think that should help,” D’Antoni said, smiling.

Gasol is under contract for $19 million this season and $19.3 million next season.

Get all that witty repartee down on paper, throw another $100 million or so behind it in production costs and ad campaigns and the purple-and-gold might have a Hollywood rom-com blockbuster on its hands.

Instead, alas, it simply has more of the same: An unhappy Gasol, feeling underappreciated after helping L.A. win titles and reach Finals since his arrival in 2008. And a stressed D’Antoni, clearing the distractions of criticism and expectations by doing what he thinks is right with his rotation. Which doesn’t appear to have a primary place for Gasol’s particular, not-so-fleet-of-foot skill set.

The outcome in the Lakers’ long-ago hometown Friday – a victory over the Wolves that got uncomfortably tight for a stretch and 22 points, 12 boards and three blocks for Gasol – isn’t going to significantly change anything about the dynamic. When Howard is fit to return, he’ll start and Gasol won’t. Simple.

That figures to keep the veteran forward’s name in play right up through the Feb. 21 trade deadline. If he’s still around beyond that, either the Lakers received low-balled in offers for him (relative to their expectations) or they’re keeping Gasol around for Dwight insurance, should the All-Star center end up exiting as a free agent or as damaged goods for the balance of the season.

One possible destination for Gasol to keep an eye on? The team that just made the big Rudy Gay trade. Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelowasn’t shy the other day in his willingness to shop forward Andrea Bargnani:

And Colangelo speculated openly that Bargnani might be the next Raptor to move on.

“The situation with Andrea is a unique one, he’s a great talent and he’s done a lot for the organization but sometimes a change of address is not bad,” said the general manager. “I’m not saying he’s asked for a trade but he certainly would not fight or resist a situation if it was the right situation.”

A role in D’Antoni’s system could be the right situation. Even if it sends Sammy Sarcasm north of the border with the underloved Gasol.

279 Comments

Keep everyone on the rosters, but eliminate the coach D’A…..Like before we need P.J back to Lakers as soon as possible. Yes, its true the coach is making Gasol uncomfortable staying in Lakers. First, there was P.J., and Gasol no problems. But, we are facing a greater problem. Trading Gasol? you must hate L.A. and its fans…..

lakers won the past few days and will continue to win not because of d antoni but bec of a new play kobe is doing, but that is not enough to win the championship. we need a good quality coach who know how to use the players capability. d antoni pls get out and let bicerstaff to coach

A lot of people enjoy makin up “trade game” : this for this, he goes to this team for x, y, z and then for z,t,s ..THIS IS PART OF the feel they have in mind something..but is rubish, This people is playing as they were in a strategy game in a computer or something like that. But it isn’t at all. This “trade game” is for childs who are dreaming, awake people. And take profit what you have.

A lot of people enjoy makin up “trade game” : this for this, he goes to this team for x, y, z and then for z,t,s ..THIS IS PART OF the feel they have in mind something..but is rubish, This people is playing as they were in a strategy game in a computer or something like that. But it isn’t at all. This “trade game” is for childs who are dreaming, awake people. And take profit what you have.

Is D’antoni lost in the topic??? it seems to me. The idea he surely has in mind, is a matter of study by science. Only Kobe, Nash, Gasol and also Howard and the rest of the team can UP his disaster plans. It’s hard, but he is excusing his obvious lack and failure with he thinks is lack of popularity now. What a man!

Sad to hear Gasol might be traded. we are happy to land Gasol in L.A and when they win the Championship. now it’s time to support him as a Lakers Fan.. Gasol is truly a Lakers forever.. NO TRADE FOR GASOL.. united we rise divided we fall.. PAU PAU PAU

Stoudemire could be a good pick up for the Lakers. Trade Pau for Stat. Imagine… Stat could revive his career in LA with Steve, and D’Antoni. Plus the Knicks need a Post Playmaker which could be Gasol. Maybe it’s just Stat’s contract which is too high.

Mr. Jerry Buss
Get rid of:…..Jim Buss replace him with Jeannie Buss
Get rid of Mitch Kupchak replace him with Phil Jackson
Get rid of D’Antoni replace him with either Bickerstaff or Brian Shaw
get rid of D. Howard…keep Gasol
Lakers will be fine!!!!

All you guys are crazy bargs and one of torontos wing players for pau is an excellent trade cause:
1 bargnani is a stretch 4 or 5 which d’ antoni would like because it give dwight room to do what he does dominate inside. andrea can’t rebound if his life was on the line
2. andrea is a spot up shooter and would blend perfectly with D’antoni run and gun offense
3.Andrea scores twenty a game easily not much of a loss if they decide to trade gasol.
4. if the trade does happen la is getting a good wing. Raps are overloaded with 2s and 3s other than demar, landry, rudy and terrence ross they still have peitrus, and anderson who would automatically make L As bench stronger
5. Andrea being italian is a bonus when the head coach is.

How that heck you think of changing the best player in Europoe Legue (Gasol), please, change D’antony for whoever is available on the market, couch K please help us with that, do i for freee and then next year Lakers’ll pay you the double…

As someone who watches games everyday, and was lucky enough to attend 4 Lakers games.. Howard is hands down the most overrated centre I have ever seen in my life. He cant catch, he plays rubbish defines, he has no post moves, he is a liability in the 4th quarter due to his horrendous FT ability for a supposed professional basketball player.. sorry but jumping around doesn’t make you a quality basketball player. He was well hidden by all the quality shooters in Orlando.. now, hes just garbage.. GO BULLS!

D’antoni can’t mangage all the personalities in la la land and worst yet kobe there leader hasn’t found any chemistry with the new aquisitions. Time to break up the team and get some younger blood in laker land. Howard’s out next year, nash is gonna join a soccer league and kobe and paul are gonna have to reunite with the doctor phil and i don’t mean that oprah’s phil

D’Antoni is full of himself for no reason. Anybody really take a close look at his coaching record season for season? Just like this season, he’s always been a sub .500 coach with the exception of a few years being above .500 when Steve Nash was a younger man in Phoenix many seasons ago. The man was sub .500 for years at Phoenix and failed again with the Knicks. And it’s interesting to note that the Knicks enjoyed an upswing in wins AFTER D’Antoni quit.

So, instead of recognizing the lousy win record behind the man, the Lakers actually want to give the guy the freedom to let his losing system take root instead of forcing him to be a better coach by figuring out how to win games WITH THE ROSTER HE HAS. Which is impossible because this coach is not a winning coach.

IDK why Mike D’Antoni is complaining about Gasol. We saw Gasol & Bynum in the starting line up and winning two NBA Championship. I’ll be disappointed if Lakers trade Gasol. D’Antoni is the problem not Gasol, he wasn’t the right guy to coach this team in the first place. Gasol is a legend stop disrespecting him man. Just Sack D’Antoni keep Pau Gasol. Go Lakers!!!

To Jim Buzz,good advize!Get rid of D’Antoni someway,hire Shaw a good ex-Laker-coach! Now you get the rebirth of the traingle because Kobe,Metta,Gasol,Blake has been very familiar with the traingle offence!They have the experience to teach the new younsters on the bench how to play with it!Hire also Bernie B. back as helpcoach with Shaw,he can give some extra ideas with his experience!This year they have the chance to use the traingle with Shaw&Bernie if Jim wants!
How sooner they start how better it is for next season,than they are championship ready for 2014!
On this way i explain the possibility’s to use as owner than certainly the Lakers gonna be champ of 2014,mark my words!!!

DONT TRADE GASOL, GET A GOOD PF BUT KEEP GASOL AS A CENTER THE GUY GOT SKILLS AND HE IS A PROVEN CHAMPION, D12 is a brick and he will never be at 100% due to back injury ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET BACK TO 100% with those type of injuries, his offense is terrible and was all based on his mad athleticism, now his done ppl, trade D12 for Kevin Love or any good PF who can shoot from outside and the lakers will dbe better with Gasol as center.

I do not believe that people understand the expression, “I am retired.”
I will not coach the Los Angeles Lakers and that is final.
The Miami Heat is an option to me because that team wants to win and they also have one of the greatest to ever play the game in LeBron James.

In 2009-10, Gasol was shooting 73% from 9 feet or less … this season he is shooting 50% from 9 feet or less. But not only this season, since 2009 Gasol has been moved out of his natural place … first with Bynum, now with Dwight … eventhough, Gasol has proven he is able to share the roof even when his better performance is as 5. No one could stop that Nowitzky … neither Pau. He has proven his devotion to the team, to the city and teammates … something that Howard and D’antony don’t. It is time to let Kobe and Pau until their contract expires … and then re-sign both of them for a low range salary … they will do it … they are Lakers not mercenaries like Howard and D’Antony. They deserve respect, honor and glory.

The LA management made the worst decision in hiring D’Antoni and should have allowed BERNIE to do the coaching. D’Antoni is already a loser before he came to LA. Seems he doesn’t know how to use players to their full potential.

Get ride of D’Antoni. He causes problems everywhere he go. He was quit the New York because he couldn’t control Carmelo. Now he is breaking up LA because he doesn’t know how to coach right. The guys is clown and doesn’t know how to coach. He is way to one dimension. That why he never had an NBA career.

WE all need to KNOW for a FACT that, the whole debate about getting rid of D’Antoni and Howard, and then on other hand getting rid of Pau is purely, well mildly said, stupid. Why get rid of BAYNUM, to bring in howard, and then trying to get rid of Pau, why? Is it too hard to work with 2 7-footers D’Antoni?? Or is just YOUR apetite and desire to work with only 1? And then when you get rid of GASOL, and Dwitgh just accidently gets pushed, shoved or in any kind of the accidental way, hurt on any game and he has to go take surgery again, what then?? Then play with no 7 footers? SURE! Great thinking!!!!
I say, KEEP GASOL, keep Dwight, let Gasol play, let Dwight play once he gets back, let Gasol start 1 game, let Dwight start next one, there is no need for either of them 2, to be a 100% guaranteed starters for Lakers.Or is it? Maybe Pau feels underloved, becauze when dwight is on the team, ready to play, coach doesn’t say, you know what Pau you had a better game then Dwight did on last game, i will have YOU to start for me this game or something like that. Also to all that look at the game of basketball and all the situations around it only thru money perspective, news flash for you, it is alot more about principles and hearing out your players, then it is to your players about money. Thta’s just my opinion. Coach HAS to TALK to the PLAYERS all of them not just KOBE, and i am Kobe fan, but you gotta sit down and talk. If you just go and pomp out the so called ‘BIG NEWS’ and open a debate who will leave or be traded and where and so on, you ain’t done nothing!

Bottom line, Mike D’Antoni i’m not American, but as i watch NBA daily and love LA-Lakers, please do US all a favour, go back to Phoenix. I am very much firmly convinced that THIS laker team can do FINE even WITHOUT a coach, atleast till someone with better ‘TOUCH’ for the lakers comes along! Peace!

should trade gasol for j-smoove
get that going, gasol is great but hes also getting older
with kobe being more a fascilitator he can also hit the mid range well and is aggressive both ends of the floor
hes also best mates with D-12 and give howard more space around the basket

I see some calling the Lakers names and such,well,success breeds envy and the Lakers,outside of Boston,has had more success than any team in the league. I know the Laker haters are having their fun right now,but dont get too happy…5-1 over the last 6 and if Howard gets back in the next few games,this team just might have some playoff life left. Trust me,OKC wants no part of a first round matchup with the Lakers..no team would. Now dont get it twisted,OKC is the best team in the league but I guarantee ya that they would rather play any of the other teams chasing the 8 spot rather than face Kobe and company in the first round. Kobe just proving once again why he was the best player in the game for over a decade. He may have lost a step but he is proving that he can do Lebron just as good as Lebron if he chooses. This style fits this team but Kobe was needed as a scorer and finisher of games and he did that as good as anyone ever has..right on par with MJ. Now he is playing like the other MJ…Magic Johnson.

Hey you Californians , if I were you, try to make DUMBTONI get out of the city.DIRECTLY or INDIRECTLY, so he will leave HOLLYWOOD soon.Unless you love him, he will stay til the end of the season..you know what i mean.your silly messages wont keep him out in LA city for sure.

It’s not hart to admit, but is the true, D’antoni can’t make 4 star play thogader and win games. The players are figured out how to play together and the couch is in other planet. Is a long time that hi has live? YEEESSS don’t make any more damage to the club MR. G.M. COUCH MOST GO NOW, NO MORE EXCUSES.

Trading Gasol is a BS thing. I think the Lakers organization had done the worst decision in hiring D’Antoni. He cannot manage ALL STAR egos. That already happened in New York. Why should they have to experience it first before learning it. The coach main job is to know the skills of his players and have them utilize those skills to the maximum level to their advantage. Fire D’Antoni. That would be the BEST DECISION.

I can’t help but feel that Pau was a great part of LA’s success in the last pair of championships they won. Kobe wasn’t winning anything until Pau arrived. Is Pau a headcase? Of course. Is Pau sometimes inconsistent? Yes. But he’s earned his right to be a Laker.

D’Antoni on the other hand… he just has a manner about him that doesn’t sit right. You can’t help but feel he carries grudges, is stubborn, is led by his pride, and allows hubris to cloud his judgment. Honestly, I think a big part of the Knick’s current success stems from having ditched Mike D. Look, he’s a great coach, but there’s no room for that kind of stubborn streak in the NBA. It’s not professional. The Laker’s recent success? It’s in SPITE of Coach D, not because of him.

the d’antoni part may be for laughs. pop would never allow that. but looking at the spurs the past few years, they have played at a faster pace which is a bit offense oriented than their trademark defense oriented style of yesteryear. for several years they have also utilized a perimeter heavy offense to keep defenses away from duncan. the emergence of splitter has changed that a bit this season. as for duncan, his rationed playing time is just slightly higher than what d’antoni allots to gasol. the difference being duncan’s presence on the floor in the fourth quarter. and manu as point? he has done that when parker was down. even with san antonio’s second unit, he does more playmaking though it is gary neal who’s tagged as tony parker’s backup.

This business about starting and finishing and playing together is garbage.
The lakers have 2 problems which solve each other. 1) Two many stars to work well together. 2) Not such a good bench.
The solution: Juggle the stars. Regular starters play 30 – 40 minutes, and bench players play 15 – 20 minutes. Both Pau and Dwight should play minutes like starters, but between them there should always be at least one of them on the floor. Then they’ll have a dominant starting lineup and bench. Similarly, both Kobe and Nash have star ability to run the offense. They should both have minutes of a starter, and there should always be at least one of them on the floor. Then they’ll have an offensive attack both for the starters and for the bench.

Look guys. I know it’s all great to find a scapegoat to blame for the Laker’s woes this season. But it ISN’T D’Antoni’s fault. He was put in an awful situation. The Lakers got Dwight Howard this season coming off a very serious injury with only one-year on his contract. Even though he isn’t the same Dwight that was seen dominating on the defensive end and at least being somewhat of a force on the offensive side of the ball, D’Antoni is forced to play him both as a starter and as a closer when I honestly feel like he should still be sitting out trying to get over all of these injuries (and hopefully work on those free throws). And then there’s the Pau Gasol knee-tendinitis/self-confidence issues. Point is with Pau and Dwight on the court at the same time, the Lakers are awful. With one or the other, they are a pretty solid team. The Pau problem stems from the fact that D’Antoni HAS to play Dwight to keep him happy with the Lakers hope of him resigning.

the problem is not on gasol. and its not d’antonis fault either. its the owner, on the first place you traded andrew bynum that fits well with the playing skills and talent of kobe and gasol. second getting a coach that his offense that is not going to work with his main player, phil jackson is the sure bet and he knew the main players already,. and there are many trades that really is questionable.

it’s not having all the “superstars you can have but, how well can they play together as a team.

Look at Chandler. He’s a role player. Howard should do that too. Gasol has moves. Use him. Kobe FG% is awful. So his new role looks fitting. nash can’t play defense. To old. Especially if you look at all the talented, athletic guards in the league. Lakers bench is not good enough. The coach is not the right one. So there’s a lot to be done. Start getting younger talented players. MWP is an inconsistent shooter and not a lockdown defender anymore.

Even Phil strugggled but almost got there years ago with a star studded team kobe shaq malone and GP. Dwight just isnt rite there this year and maybe not interested for next year either. Trade for players who want to settle for roles not stardom. So many wrongs for any coach this year in LA to give D’antoni credit he didnt choose this team it chose him. This is a team put together by the front office not a coach.

Lakers had been Great as what I have heard from my Grandfather and dad , It seems the dynasty were headed to the right path but now in jeopardy to be derailed due to a crazy choice of a coach.Isn’t it obvious DANTONI is not for this strong Laker team ? 1) He wants his team to play up tempo and run – your team consists of still able aged superstars and a pair of strong Center. 2) You want a 19 million

the problem is that the Lakers don’t play defense a lot. They score 100p in almost every game, that means the offense does a good job, but they also give up more than 100p in their losses and since they have more Ls than Ws you can clearly see that the defense is very bad. And i think that Dantoni calls the defensive schemes too doesnt he? So he does a good job drawing up offensive plays but the D is so bad even i could score against Lkrs. Dantoni should be fired cuz he doesnt know how to operate this Laker squad and Gasol should stay. If there is a trade, than no way the Raptors deal would work, because Andrea is a offensive minded center and sags off on defense often while Gasol runs up and down the floor with 110% effort on both ends.

Those of you who still calling for Jackson’s hiring and D’Antoni’s firing should basically just quit, because it doesn’t fit the reality and it does not benefit the Lakers. Stop being controlled by the media and come to your senses, the moment Lakers picked D’Antoni, they have to stick the course, this is not a child play, this is not NBA2K13.

Lakers payroll is going to be reduced, because the luxury tax next years will be ridiculous, there will be players moved either Feb. 21st or in the summer, and if Howard resigns, Lakers will sign him right away and start to trade other players. Kobe has no trade clause, Nash is only due 7mil each year, and there is Gasol with 19.3 million due, so let’s not guess who is going to be moved most likely, because it’s all up to if Howard will resign or not, Gasol knew his days are numbered in LA one way or the other, as much as we want to respect him, if Celtics can talk about trading Garnet and Pierce, why can’t LA talk about trading Gasol?

Am I the only one who kinda wishes howard was traded.. that guy is so overrated. His defense is not what it used to be because of the back injury, he complains about getting touches even though he cant make any shot constantly other then a dunk (And he screws those up sometimes) and he cant make his foul shots hes not as great as people make him out to be. He was a top notch defender (Probably the best in the league) But i dont think so anymore and without his one saving grace he is nothing. TRADE HIM.

D Antoni messing up the Lakers! Use Pau as a scapecoat just because Pau was in the Rumor mill! He should realize his blunder by now! He’s brought here to coach Kobe, Nash, Dwight and Pau! Didn’t he envision Pau there with the 4 hall of famers? He can’t even talk like Phil used to address the team and the media the issues at hand clearly and straight to the point whether you like it or not! Jim Buss if you’re really smart, just swallow and admit what messed up and admit hiring Antoni was a mistake too! You’re the owner you always have all the time to correct your mistake…do the right thing now…Do something right…keep gasol and park Antoni on the sideline…not on the bench!

WOW LOOK GASOL WON 2 RINGS WITH KOBE HE KNOWS THE TRIANGLE WE GOT RID OF FISHER THAT WAS AN INSULT BECAUSE HE WAS 37 WELL HOW OLD IS NASH HES OLDER AND LOSES THE BALL HAS NO DEFENSE I NEVER LIKED NASH BUT I GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR BEING A GOOD SHOOTER WE NEED A BETTER PPOINT GUARD AND WE NEED TO GET RID OF D’ANTONI HE ISNT A CHAMPION CALIBER COACH WHAT WAS BUSS THINKING THE WAY THIS TEAM LOOKS IS LOST DONT KNOW HOW TO RUN THE PAYS AND WHO IS TO BLAME DANTONI HE STINKS GET PHIL JACKSON BACK IM A DIE HARD LAKER FAN SINCE I WAS AN INFANT KOBE NEEDS 1 MORE RING THIS TEAM IS OLD THE TRIANGLE MAKES SENSE SO PLEASE GET PHIL ASAP I CANT STAND TO SEE MY TEAM LOSE AND BECOME A JOKE IN THE NBA

Howard to Brooklyn, Brook Lopez to Minnesota, Kevin Love (UCLA) comes back to LA. That way dont have to eat Dantoni’s salary cuz K Love can launch them 3 balls. Fire him next year and win it all with a coach who knows how to run an offense for the talent he has.

If Kevin Love comes back from injury soon expect a gasol for love trade to happen. If the Lakers start are not in the 8th spot by All-star break they are probably going to trade him to T’Wolves no matter if Love is back or not so they get pieces. If they are in the 8th spot but Love is not back probably a Gasol for Smith trade.

bring back the player-coach. The lakers have 3 veterans who all have very high basketball IQ (Kobe,Pau, Steve Nash). D’Antoni is a muppet who is trying to force a system on players who can clearly not physically do it. like it was said in a previous comment, the players have figured out how to play together and D’antoni is trying to take credit for it. watch the guy try to answer questions in post game press conferences he has no answer for them, just like the problems the lakers are having. By having the three players previously mentioned run the team the lakers could avoid having to fork out another contract on another coach.

Steve, you are a mediocre writer. Not only is this story devoid of real content backed by authentic journalistic insight, but the continuing media-driven “intrigue” over Pau getting traded frustrates me to no goddam end as a Laker fan.

100% true and agree that D’Antoni should walk away and resign. Bickerstaff has used players even better than this clown. D’Antoni mocks Gasol with jokes. He starts a joke but the truth is that the JOKE id ON D’ANTONI. The Beegees new it. When you laugh with your jokes to Gasol, everyone is even more pissed with you coach. You might as well just shut up if you don’t want to ruin more about your coaching. I also agree that the way Kobe is playing right now was not influenced or whatsoever taught by D’Antoni. It is just Kobe’s basketball IQ to do whatever it takes to win. Kobe and Gasol are champions. Not D’Antoni the looser clown.

P.S. How boastful are you to even attribute the wins of the Lakers in the past few games if you yourself did not contribute on to how Kobe plays. Don’t you even dare mock Gasol again. You should look into your achievements first coach before even mocking Gasol who sparked 2 championships with Kobe.

Laker fans! Shut up! I am A HUGE LAKERS FAN! There are only two possible solutions! Coaching change! 1: Brian Shaw 2: D-Fish! They both have everyone’s respect! Especially Kobe’s and Gasol’s and know how to keep everyone happy. They know the triangle like the back of there hand and Guess what Phil Jackson will be more then willing to help them both out if needed!
There are no trades needed cause I watched these last games! And what they need back is toughness! They got Steve Blake back which is an extreme boost but I miss RON ARTEST, yes I said it! Ron Ron! He is crazy and very irrational but he was a killer and not scared of anyone! Not even Kobe. And find a way to get Matt Barnes back without using any key players! Everyone saw how Matt Barnes got GREG STIENSMA to not even react! Those players we need if we need any!

I hate to see Pau Gasol traded but I don’t see Jim Buss bringing Phil back and that will not change anything neither. I like Pau over Howard however considering Pau’s age and him slowing down yet still effective, I would keep Howard for one reason only and that is defense.

Josh Smith is not a good fit for Lakers. He is a good defender and not known for his shots. Lakers already have Howard and Artest who can defend. Its pointless to trade Gasol who is a good offensive player for a defensive player when you have Howard who lacks offense and bring in another dude who lacks offense or lack shooting. I think Lakers should trade with Indiana Pacers instead…

It works well for both sides and Lakers will not go over salary tax and the same goes for pacers.
Danny Granger can shoot from outside, he has a great size and he can also score 1 on 1. Ian is a good rebounder big man and will provide spark off the bench. Orlando Johnson is a rookie and will come in handy in the future plus he is a UC Santa Barbara. Danny Granger can play 2,3, and 4 position so Lakers can afford going small…

The lakers need to have a coach with a good system like Phil, since the lakers is now loaded with shooters adding nash, meeks and jamison which is tough compare to the previous 2 seasons that they’re out of top guns.

Yes I would love it for Pau to come to Toronto! Pau would fit right in! D’antoni is an idiot for under appreciating Gasol’s talent. If Pau came to Toronto (I know it’s not gonna happen) he’d be back to his all-star self no doubt.

Kyrie goes to Lakers after Nash’s contract expires and Kobe retires. Kyrie would be my next idol after Kobe. And I would like to see the Irving-Howard era , the next Big Thing! In 3-4yrs from now… Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Earl Clark, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard (my DREAM well-balanced future starter of Lakers), that can keep it up all teams on NBA now.

Phil Jackson had a different players cast when he was in Chicago (no center) and LA (center-focused) but he managed just fine, winning multiple championships. Tim Thibodeau manages great even without its best player, Frank Vogel manages great without a star player. D’Antoni wastes a lot of talent and is adamant with his failure-proven so-called spread the floor offensive scheme. Give Us a Break, Mitch, swallow your pride and fire D’Antoni. He is the reason of LA’s disaster.

you guys should remember that gasol and odom were the one’s who finished games when they were champions, the reason we were losers last year is becoz of having two 7 footers, it would be better if we get rid of howard and get bargnani and gay/derozan

gasol misunderstood d antoni, i just feel like the lakers have a better bench with gasol off the bench, just like before, we needed odom, we had the worst bench in the NBA now we have one of the best, its just that howard doesnt fit having another big man down there, he’d get a lot of turnovers with so many congestion

If Mr. Kupchak trades Gasol and retain Howard and D’Antoni the laker fans will riot. This will not only cost his job, but will cost the Lakers serious damage long term. Decisions decisions. He better make it count.

I think, trading gasol is not the solution for LA. hmm. if they trade Gasol, and howard will not sign with LA, hmmm.. Lakers is the biggest loser. i think if thet want to trade gasol, they should have to be sure the dwight is staying in LA, and trade gasol until the deadline next season.

everytime theres an issue or article that involves the lakers this “pakyaw” name always pops up, pretending to be a know it all when it comes to basketball.even calling us laker fans living in denial.. why do u hate the lakers so much?! cant you get in that thick skull o yers that were just a banner away from tying the greens , from being the winningest franchise in the NBA. quit watchin the NBA and stick to your PBA league you sorry excuse of a fan, from the way u deliver ur messages i can tell where your from lol.

Would be a good move for a promising new Toronto team, could definitely help with their playoff push. Bargnani is injured and I don’t think they have a real timetable for his return, so LA would not be smart to do this trade if they want to win this year. But they aren’t smart as we can see already. I’m sure D’Antoni won’t object to the trade, most likely he would be ecstatic.

The Lakers should trade Dwight Howard for DeMarcus Cousins. He’s a much better talent, very athletic, can shoot even from outside, has a nice arsenal of low post moves, can make free throws and he can even run the fast break by himself, a ridiculous talent, with decent coaching and veteran leadership he would do very well.

D’Antoni and Jim Buss are wings of the same bird. Great tacticians. I suggest send them both choice Clippers seat and bring the Zen Master. Only a decorticated brain will think Gasol should be traded, of coarse, trade the players and keep the coach seem to be in Jim Buss and D’Antoni agenda.

As the biggest Laker hater in the world, I don’t care who they keep or let go of. Most of you Laker fans are bandwagon fans with some sense of pseudo macho compensating personality. Get a life. Support the team in your city it’s sickening watching all those idiots in their $100 dollar Laker jerseys in Utah, or San Antonio, or Atlanta, or anywhere other than L.A.. I know there are true Laker fans; fans who support them win or lose, but most fans have a real issue with their manhood. Pretty silly really. It’s true poetic justice watching the Lakers suffer so. Sometimes all of the money in the world, and all of the phony fans in the world just isn’t enough. I hope they never win another game! And I live in L.A.!

The coach’s job is to do the best he can with the players he’s got. D’Antoni has one gameplan and actively antagonizes the players who don’t fit it instead of trying to adapt his gameplan to suit the players. He goes to New York and complains about having Carmelo Anthony, he goes to LA and complains about having Pau Gasol, a guy who not only has more championship rings than D’Antoni (heck, even Eddy Curry can claim that) but who was a crucial part of winning those rings. The kneejerk decision to fire Mike Brown and hire D’Antoni looks worse every week.

I think we start at the top. Fire Jim and replace him with Jeanie, then fire Mitch and replace him with Phil Jackson. Then let Phil as the new GM fix the coaching staff and players. Dr. Jerry Buss please you are the only one that has the power to make this happen. You will have to fix this at the end of the season so I say why wait at least you are moving forward instead of side ways with Jim, Mitch and Mike. Business is business JUST DO IT…

If Lakers trade Gasol they should send him to the wolves with a pick for Kevin Love because Love is a perimeter who would fit in Mikes system better and Gasol with Rubio who have great chemistry together

This sounds familiar, D’antoni in New York was not getting the job with Melo and Amare, what díd he do? He asked for Melo to be traded, the Nicks fired D’Antoni instead, and the Nicks started winning. Now in LA the same story, the Lakers have two of the most talented big man in the NBA, they are not winning, and now D’antoni is looking for someone to blame and trade.

gasol has been underachieving that why he is in the chopping block lately…d’antoni should change his coaching style for the the lakers line up to work…lakers don’t need a trade to resolve the problem….

Would love that trade for Toronto… starting line-up of Lowry, DeRozen, Gay, Gasol & Johnson (or JV) would be quite nice! With this line-up they would be able to play uptempo as well as half court game.

The trade could be evened out if raps send Bargs & Landy Fields for Gasol although Lakers might not want Landry’s contract…

MLSE is one of the richest sports organizations in the world! They have to stop worrying about lux tax & start throwing some money around to finally build a winning team in the city!

Here’s a solution. Keep Gasol, fire D’Antoni, and let Bickerstaff finish off the season. When the season is over look for a new coach. Doesn’t have to be Phil, but someone who isn’t stubborn and knows how to use 2 big men unlike D’Antoni

I feel like we (the Lakers) were doomed when we lost Jerry West. Have to question some of the decisions being made by management now. But since we can’t do anything about that, how about all of us agreeing to stop using the term “elite”?

Phil had a different type of players in Chicago and LA. In chicago, he did not have center like Shaq but he was successful with both teams. Good coach maximizes the players they have, like Tom Tibideau or Frank Bogel, bad coach always want his way.

Pau should get over himself and do what the coach wants him to do. It’s about doing what it takes to help your team win, not what it takes to make you feel better about yourself. Best example of a team that gets this idea: San Antonio Spurs. Learn something from Duncan, Pau.

Good point. I think however the frustation Gasol denotes is brought about by DAntoni, he does not know how to communicate with his players. Case being when he benched Jamison for a couple of weeks. No explanation as the reasoning or plans behind the actions. DAntoni wants to rule with an arm and hammer, stubborned as can be and too old to change his ways. DAntoni has a negative aura about him that just infects the whole team.

I’m with D’Antoni on this one…Pau is paid some 19mil to play regardless of the role…If the leader Kobe is able to adjust to his playing style by getting his teammates involved just to try and win…whats wrong with Pau leading the bench? I do agree tho that it must be frustrating to hear your name being tossed up all the time in trade talks; especially, when you’ve been a big part of two back-to-back champions..but do whatever is necessary to help the team win. Maybe benching Pau is a way of motivating him to play the way he is used to playing. Either way…I’d say give D’Antoni his shot…Things seems to be falling into place when everyone is on the same page.

I don’t understand why anyone consider to get rid of Gasol. He is a proven winner and has some of the best skills in the league.
Dwight Howard on the other hand has not played on all star level at all. And he is definitely lacking the will of winning. When he is on the court, I don’t see him always giving 100%. I’m not feeling any intensity from him (just compare him to Kobe, then you should know what I mean). He often makes bad moves which are so uncessary and gets him in foul trouble. He is really good in complaining though. I’m sure that Kobe likes to play with Gasol more than with Howard.
Of course people may say that Howard is the future and Kobe’s not. But Howard will always need a star player on his side to achieve something special.

I like Pau but lets be honest here.He is a shadow of his 2 championship seasons.He rarely plays defense, cant jump and his feet seemed stuck to the ground.If you keep your eye on him he does not fight hard to get low post position anymore.He cries that he belongs in the low post yet even when Dwight is not playing he is at the top of the key taking jumpshots.I would only trade him if we really got 2 young athletic players that have a future.

Somebody could imagine Spurs talking about trading Duncan or Robinson in 1997? Come on, if you have two great interior players, you should take advantage of that. I´m not sure Phil Jackson is the solution (may be it´s time to move forward) but it´s obvious that D´Antoni is not the proper coach for this team…

Kobe was right, you LA-clowns are downright stupid. Phil will never come back to LA, get it through your thick skulls. I’m tired of hearing that with Phil, everything is right with the world. You all make it seem that he’s this lone savior to this talented-underachieved debacle of a franchise. If so, where was this divine being who got swept by the Mavs in the playoffs? I’m calling BS. Dare I say the Lakers are the NY Jets of the NBA. Chances of Kobe winning another ship before he retires, not likely. Before anyone sys it, I could care less about your 16 championships which I find funny when you fools say “our” titles when you clearly didn’t do jack. You LA-tards are quick to blame for your teams under achievements hence blaming D’antoni. Sure he wasn’t the right fit but eh isn’t the one putting up 20+ turnovers a game. Hell, is it not common sense to get back on defense as well? Does a coach really need to tell you that? All in all, Gasol is gone and D12 is heading into free agency.

Stay on your bandwagon and keep rolling by, your half cent ignorant comments are not welcomed here. You can hate and bad mouth yourself to death, we know Phil is not comming back, but the Lakers had the choice of hiring him at the beginning of the season,and they oviously made a big mistake by chosing DAntoni, if you cannot see that this is what we mean when we say “we want Phil”, then it is ovious that you are just as dumb as the comments you make. You are just a big mouth with no brains..

The team has won 4 of 5 since changing their offensive style of play. Outside of showing some difficulty maintaining 4th quarter leads, the team is playing very well right now. I don’t see why they can’t play even better as they get used to this new system. Maybe the right approach is to not make any big changes from here on out.

Good point. With time the players will develop more chemistry with the new style of play and will improve. The players (Kobe) will make DAntoni look good: as long as he stays out of the way and lets the players play.

The Lkaers should keep Gasol, and get rid of Howard. Trade him for Noah+Deng+Robinson. And Trade nash too, coz the old man is to slow against the top athletic guards, and of course fire dantoni, and get phil back. If that is impossible, than hire Brian Shaw. That is all.

if you want the lakers to be a better team. GET RID OF GASOL! huge distraction for them right now. he is a drama queen. get rid of him and the dead weight will be lifted and they will get back to being the lakers.

The only one bringing drama to LA is DAntoni. There was none of that going on until DAntoni got here. I can understand if he was a winning coach with a resume and proven stats. He has shown nothing useful to the Lakers, except the drama that he has brought along with all his loses.

Mike D is an idiot! Small Ball never wins. His love of going small has prejudiced him against 7 footers. The Phoenix Suns have been playing small ball for 40 years and have zero Championships. The Lakers in the last 41 year have 11 Chanpionships won by centers named Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, Bynum, and Gasol. I am a confirmed Laker Hater. But even a non fan can see it’s best to get rid of the cheesy coach who has never won a title than the talented 7ft 1 center who has won two,

I’d rather keep Gasol than Howard if I were the Lakers. Howard has brought drama & has not helped the Lakers’ record (in fact, it’s terrible compared to years past). Gasol has helped the Lakers win championships! Plus, Howard at a younger age already seems more injury prone than Gasol. I think the Lakers will function as a healthier team if Howard left.

i dont care what nobody say mike d has one of the best systems in the nba and kobe is showing it now that he’s the primary ball handler if the team continues to move the ball like they been moving it and playing defense this team is still destined for a nba championship and that is what is going to take to end the criticism but were now in the beginning of February so is just a matter of time the problem is human beings are so impatient to see what they want but i know the lakers are going to make a run at it with the players on this team there’s no way there missing the playoffs just look at who there chasing utah Houston and portland like come on lakers could get the 8th seed it doesn’t matter if they continue to play like there playing and stay healthy they got the team to win it all thats what everybody was saying in the offseason they just went through a tough early season that is going to be easily forgotten when they put that 13 banner up

You Laker fans can not win without Phil Jackson as coach. Utterly useless, given the talent you still have on your team. Phil Jackson will not return as coach for any team, even the Lakers. Trade Howard to Brooklyn, which is where he wanted to go all along, involving some other teams to make the deal happen, get some decent role players to help out your existing stars and that fit into D’Antoni’s game style, and presto, that should see Lakers back up there in time for playoffs. I still don’t think they will win it all though. You Laker fans need to give up on the whole ‘Phil Jackson’ back as coach blah blah blah, coz it’s not gonna happen and the Lakers need to learn to win without Phil Jackson as coach, but hey Lakers are always stuck in the past. It’s what they always resort back to in order to bring back fame!

Us Lakers fans know that Phil is not coming back, you two clowns just dont get it! It simply means we want a coaching change because DAntoni has done nothing but stirred controversy and bring disruption to the Lakers organization. As far as being stuck on the past, I dont think so. We are however stuck on the facts, and yes we do have a lot of banners to prove it and back it up. Whatever team you two losers root for, Im sure they dont have the credentials. So keep hating, that’s all you can do..

then stop using Phil as ur savior…im just a critics,and you ? you are a big time biased idiot Lakers fan…D’antoni fault when team having 20 TO in a game or his fault when somebody bricking 20 shots(KOBE) or his fault when somebody cant hit freethrow(DWIGHT)… so what do you think smart guy?..

Kobe wants to be Nash at this stage of his carrier, he now wants to be the facilitator. Just do your thing Mr. Bryant and let the others do theirs. You don’t need to take over Nash’s role to be great, you already are! Do you have any idea who can take over your role on this Laker team? No more alms from you, just let the ball move so that the other players can earn their points. You have all the cards for D’antoni and Gasol problems.

The Lakers should definitely keep their five of Nash, Bryant, MWP, Gasol and Dwight. Take off D’Antoni and bring back the Zen Master aka Phil Jackson! Worst case, IF a trade DOES happen, better keep Gasol and do a 3-way trade with Dwight, Kevin Love and Brook Lopez. That was the circulating rumor anyway

Gasol just needs to man up like Stoudamire and realise it’s not all bad to come off the bench as long as your team is winning… Woodson sorted out STAT, maybe D’Antoni needs to do the same with PAU?

Either way, happy to see the lakeshow struggling and can’t believe all you clowns are still asking for Phil – he aint coming back to coaching! Find some new great hope to fix your struggles but Phil’s done – may as well be asking for Shaq to come back and save you…

get rid of gasol. he is not an elite player anymore. he spends his days whinning and saying he will never become a bench player. that he will be a starter till he retires. he thinks to highly of himself. you arnt a good player anymore gasol your a whinny girl. just shut up and youll get your start back. i think the lakers need to part ways with him already he is distracting that team to much. GO BULLS!

This is a perfect example of what makes a good or bad coach. Phil Jackson did not have a great center when he was in Chicago and he ran the system just fine. When he had Shaq in LA, they had multiple championship. Good coaches used whatever players they have, bad coach always stick their own system.

Lakers are not doing well, that’s for sure. Even there was the “talk” and now Kobe Bryant is making plays, it’s still not a well constructed team. Sure, you look at the players. Howard, Gasol, Nash and Bryant. Potential Hall of Famers, and yet this team is struggling. Howard will never be happy if he was benched, and Gasol is whining (where I think it’s wrong). The NBA stated that if players like Manu Gib. aren’t complaining that he’s not a starter, neither should Gasol. Gasol is a great player, don’t get me wrong. However, the team is meant to win a championship, and they only have 1/2 season to prove it.

I don’t think D’Antoni is a good coach. However, firing him will cause a “firefest” for the Lakers and with around 30 games left, they can’t afford that. The trade seems pretty plausible and make sense if Gasol was traded for Bargnani and someone else. You can say Phil Jackson can do better, but I think he’ll also struggle a bit coaching this team too. What Lakers really need right now is a good bench, and a PF/C or PG to back up Howard and Nash.

Earl Clark is doing a lot of the Lakers right now, I believe with his talent and efforts, he deserved to be a starter. I just think it’s time for Gasol to move on if the Lakers wants a chance to get to the playoffs, or he should stop whining because there are countless amazing talent players who are not starters, and they don’t even complain because it’s what’s best for the team.

Don’t go grinning D’Antoni, you’re not doing the best as a coach and you got to step up your game if you want to get into the Playoffs.

Pau is a star. 19 million for the year and next is a lot though. It would be hard to get the bargani trade to work because of the salary difference between the two. Kevin love doesn’t seem happy but a Dwight / love trade seems fairer for both teams. Detroit need a jump shooting presence but don’t have anything to offer. Boston need help but are old enough . Houston have plenty of young talent they could package up. Maybe with a future pick thrown in. Lin, harden, asik, gasol is a solid core. With the luxury tax stresses out there I can’t see much happening with pau. Maybe coach is right. Is 19 million might ease the pain of sitting on bench.

DAntoni is right only by his own choice. He is the one who choses to have Gasol on the bench. Gasol would be the center piece and franchise player on any other team in the NBA, even at age 33. Yes, he is that good of a player.

I vote for Gasol, he plays with more heart, is more consistent and effective, does not bring the drama, has proven himself, has proven his loyalty, is respected all around including by Kobe, is mature and a complete professional, has a high IQ and is versitle not to mention skilled, and can shoot freethrows. Then, theres Howard, the opposite of what I just mentioned.

The Lakers aren’t going to think about shooting the gun and trading Gasol until they know what Howard is going to do. Sign or walk, if LA trades Gasol and Howard leaves you’re talking about Bynum, Gasol, and Howard leaving in a year span.

now this is amazing , what kind of a team is this if they trade one of their best players (my brother) just because some new coach came and start losing and if they trade gasol (my brother) i am leaving nba because its becoming a joke

Hey, Listen! Consensus says that D’antoni isn’t admired; Gasol is loved by fans but treated badly by LA, Kobe and D’antoni but how come nobody is mentioning Dwight Howard’s weaknesses – he whines a lot, betrayed his Orlando coach, Van Gundy, is injured a lot, is out a lot, makes few baskets unless he’s within 3 feet of the rim, shoots free throws poorly and what else? Maybe he’s lifting too much weight so his shoilders are injured before the game starts? Wasn’t he wincing the other night that his shoulder was hurting but the next day the dr said it’s ok…

The only person that sticks up for Gasol is Kobe. I think a 5 time champion and 17 year veteran knows a thing or two about winning. He understands how much a presense and a factor Gasol can be. Clearly Kobe understands Gasol’s game and abilities as well as his IQ not only as a player but also as the type of teammate he is. Who would you listen to, Kobe the champ, who backs Gasol, or DAntoni with the unproven record, who wants Gasol out?

Yeah, trade COACHES! D’Antoni couldn’t coach WNBA. Gasol is one of the NBA elite. D’Antoni is a hack and a jerk! And what a blunder by Jim Buss. After five games, Coach Brown was four games under .500. After almost 50 games, D’Antoni is still FIVE games under .500. I didn’t like Brown, but D’Antoni is worse. Can you fire an Owner’s son?!

why would you trade kobe? hes still a great closer, plus he opens everyone up, maybe the best 1 on 1 player in the nba, i would trade howard to whoever wants him and then pickup jason thompson from the kings, hes like a mini howard but hes got the killer mindset that he lacks, id also trade steve blake for jimmer fredette. jimmer can score hes a great shooter, hes getting better and better at d,, who better for him to practice against than kobe bryant.

If I was Gasol I would say to D’umtoni, How many rings do you have???? Either way Kobe is the only one really worth mentioning on the lakers and alsoin my opinion Gasol is better than Howard, Howard isn’t what he use to be and will never be. You are right Dont care D’umbtoni has no respect and is a sore loser.

Really can’t believe how Gasol is being treated right now. D’Antoni isn’t a proven champ, nor is Dwight. If LAL thinks they’ll get back to prominence let alone a championship with D’Antoni at the helm then they’re delusional.

I was disappointed when the lakers lost Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes and plenty of other players that I thought had great futures with us. While my basketball iq is lacking, I still feel Pau is one of the most consistent players on the lakers team at the moment. He does many amazing things! No matter what happens, Pau, I want you to know that I as a Lakers fan, recognize you, your skill, your professionalism and your sacrifice for this team. You will always be looked up to by me! I honor you Mr. Pau Gasol! Hopefully you’ll be a laker for life! If I had my way, I would trade the people that have been making the decisions on who we trade. Yeah, they might have brought some great talent here – but it doesn’t seem to be producing anything exiting…yet! KEEP PAU GASOL!

Maybe D’Antoni should trade himself right along with his pathetic 1 play system. You don’t trade a proven champion that can still give you 20/10 a night. DUMBTONI said David Lee, Jamaal Crawford and look what they are doing. Even said Jordan Hill didn’t fit the system but Hill made him eat those words. Clearly D’Antoni can’t coach and should walk away like he did in NY.. I BLAME BUSS for these whole season. Should of pushed his fu*kin pride to the side & hired the right guy…..PHIL

That’s not DAntoni’s system, That’s Kobe’s system. DAntoni is not smart enough to ask Kobe to stop being a scorer and be the head facilitator. This is a system the players figured out on their own. DAntonis system consists of run and gun all game long, that’s all the man knows, that is all he wants to do, The man is stubborned, he has proven that done just that hes whole coaching career, thats why he has never won. Now he wants to take credit for the change in style of play. Nice!

Laughing at both Hoopz and Anthony, typical new age rookie fans with much knowledge to attain. Winning does not imply to regular season games. The lakers have been doing it for decades. Winning corresponds to getting the championship trophy, and there can only be one team holding it when it is all said and done. The rest of the teams at the end are all just losers, for there can only be one winner. The Lakers have consistently won trophys for decades as well. The Knicks have how man

ha sub 500 teams beat miami twice beat the spurs beat your lakers beat the nets,hawks,celtics,bucks and nuggets actually watch teams other than the one you follow instead of just repeating what the media says

The way the Lakers are going with D’Antoni and Howard, you guys won’t be winning the chip anytime soon. Shoot maybe you won’t even win a chip in the next 40 years. The only thing you guys have worth a damn is Kobe.

Gasol is extremely skilled with a high basketball IQ. He deserved to start, period. Yes he needs to work on his boards on both sides, but he can do it! He had done it here and for Spain. As far as agency goes, I would have to persuade him to go some where where he will be paid and appreciated for his work and skill. I know he said he wants to retire from LA, but not if they are going to treat him like this! He needs to get away from the ‘drama-life’ of LA and enjoy being who he is. Sad day will arrive when LA looses both big men and they are stuck at the bottom of the standings again. Kobe is not getting any younger and with time and constant over usage of his joints, he won’t see his career stretch out to where Nash is.

Melo, Amar’e, Tyson, Felton, Smith etc….isn’t going anywhere,I don’t understand who would say something as ridiculous as Melo leaving, that David O. guy must be smoking something… lol Melo is a Knick and will retire as a KNICK

The point is: Mike d’Antoni’s system without Pau is proved wrong, there’s the 21-26 balance. He would better shut up his mouth and thank Pau for the wins that are going to come with him in the middle while DH12 is out, and try to change the awful team the lakers are without Pau receiving balls down low without doing that

Can we start a petition to get rid of D’Antonie….pleeeeeeeessssseee. Having said that, I’m not sure of Phil is a good fit for this team neither. Remember he was only able to take us as far as 1st round the last time. I think, with the people that we have, Gasol, Howard and Nash and the egos that we have in the team,yes I’m talking about Kobe, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, so don’t even talk about trading him…I think the better fit is Coach Sloan. He has the clout pull veteran (big-ego) players in line and had coached the best pick-n-roll duo ever.

If Phill Jax were the coach we would be at least at the 6, 7 or 8th spot for the playoffs run or maybe higher, Mike D’Antoni doesn’t know how to used the good pieces that we have. Fired him and let Bernie Bickerstaff to coach the rest off the season. Because D’Antoni is getting pay and we loosing, if they fired him at least he won’t be coaching, I would take my chances with Bernie Bickerstaff.

Phil Jackson had a different players cast when he was in Chicago (no center) and LA (center-focused) but he managed just fine, winning multiple championships. Tim Thibodeau manages great even without its best player, Frank Vogel manages great without a star player. D’Antoni wastes a lot of talent and is adamant with his failure-proven so-called spread the floor offensive scheme. Give Us a Break, Mitch, swallow your pride and fire D’Antoni. He is the reason of LA’s disaster.

@Joe
Thibodeau and Vogel have a thing in common though: their best player is defence, not some star player diva. People ought to stop attributing these teams’ successes to some absent “scorer”. Their continued success comes from good defence.

Gasol has the best low post moves in the whole NBA …Get rid of him? That is a silly question.If it is necessary to trade someone, that could easily be Howard , an absolutely overestimated player who does nothing at offence , demands the ball only to miss shots or go to the foul line (and miss the free throws) .As for the defence he has lost his athleticism because of the back surgery and he can not block shots any more….Even better Fire D ANTONI …Wrong decision Buss!He can not coach this old team ,let alone the 2 7-footers.

Right on the money with your post! Trade Dwight Howard immediately for whatever you can get! Gasol is a talented player that enjoys playing with Kobe Bryant. With the emergence of Earl Clark and Kobe’s new role as a facilitator they are getting closer to where they need to be. If you could get a couple good bench players for Dwight I say go for it. Dwight has no lift in his legs this year, and I doubt he sticks around anyway. Trade him to Atlanta for Josh Smith and this team could actaully make some noise the rest of the year.

Dwight Howard is 5th in the league in blocks, getting 12 rebounds a game, shooting 58 percent from the field, scoring 17 points a game. Don’t like him, thats one thing. I don’t either. But you can’t make stuff up just because he is acting like a kid. He is shooting well, blocking shots, and getting rebounds. He could be scoring a bit more but those stats are pretty damn good. The Lakers problem is D’antoni making the team uncomfortable.

All you people who say fire D’Antoni and get Phil aren’t thinking intelligently. The Lakers are already paying Mike Brown’s contract, if they fired D’Antoni they’ll also have to pay his contract, and they’d have even less cash then before to give Phil. Phil was asking for too much, with such a costly roster, the Lakers can’t afford to pay for a 3rd coach. Maybe after next season they can fire D’Antoni once Brown’s and Howard’s contracts are off the books.

which is why they screwed up. Should never have hired D’antoni in the first place and just gone with Bickerstaff. Did a better job of using his players well rather then screwing up team chemistry by changing the rotation every second night and not using the talent properly on the team. Honestly am not surprised that they lost so many games in a row when D’antoni was on ship; the defence is still the issue – they haven’t played better D, they’ve just played worse teams.

A coach that does not know how to win with two of the best big men in the game. DAntoni is a joke. What coach would not want to come to a team that has the talents of Gasol and Howard: A recipe for championships, but not for DAntoni. No sir! He’d rather get rid of the talent and keep playing his unproven bonehead style. Great job Jimmy Buss. Lets just wait and see if Jimmy listens to his overpaid loser coach. Trading Gasol would be the Lakers mistake of the decade. As it is, neither Howard nor DAntoni have ever won anything. That would make perfect sense, get rid of the champion, keep the losers..

since day one, I did not want mike d’antoni.. what he did with the knicks should already tell you about him, his system is dumb.. now look at the knicks, different coach and better results.. mitch kupchap did wrong and now we have to watch every game like, are the lakers going to win or lose?

“are the lakers going to win or lose?” isn’t competition what sports is about? that is why people accuse the lakers, the heat or any superteam of buying a championship. get all the best players and watch the other teams just roll over and die? wouldn’t that be more predictable than the WWE? and we wonder why haters hate and others no longer want to follow the NBA.

Well, as a Lakers fan I can understand him, that of course he like them more to win rather lose.
But that’s the exciting thing these years I feel that competition is stronger and the winning teams really changed over the last 3 years.
Lakers, Celtics, Mavs, Cavs, Magic were contenders 3 years ago, while looking at Clippers, GSW, Grizz, it changed to positive, also Bulls and Knicks back in the upper 4.
No mistake as Celtics/Mavs fan its hard to swallow but its also exciting, interesting to follow…

The baby Lakers owners is just dad, a baby rich kid that got the business from daddy. The way he’s messing up the Lakers will be comparable just to what the crazy son is doing with the Knicks too. How the heck you sit Gasol for Howard? Howard has won nothing, nothing. The Lakers didn’t get Phil, and now are pushing Gasol way for Howard… Nash can’t play his position, too old for that… and they got Kobe playing a different position…. how’s that for a system working? The way dantoni messed up the Knicks is so bad that they’re still trying to untangle it… and now he’s doing the same with the Lakers…. go figure… rick kid playing daddy’s business…

Perfectly shows that basketball is still at team sport that needs more than 5 players and a good coach to mix well, as all of them have their individual record.
Saying Howard won nothing is a bit narrow viewed, as multiple DPOY he brought the Magic to the finals in 09 and if you look at the supporting cast, there’s not been much. Also, DAntoni had quite some success with the Suns and is also part of Team USA (actually, Amare was also part of that succesful Suns team and but now struggling in NY).
But single accomplishements have to fit with other parts of the team, and it seems not to fit in LA.
I’m not saying DAntoni and Howard do well for the Lakers but it sounds a bit funny how some sound as if they knew it all before – though Kobe himself was happy for DAntoni to come. And like him or not but he’s surely a wise one and very dedicated to the Lakers franchise.

Pau Gasol is a great player but I would trade him for a player that fits the team well. I would not trade Gasol for Andrea Bargnani though. Bad trade for the Lakers! Get Josh Smith and the Lakers would be great defensively and improve in athleticism and speed. Why would I trade Gasol? Because he is not happy about his role as a second unit player or playing outside the paint in the first unit. Gasol is a center but managed to coexist as a power forward in the triangle system. In this D’antoni style system, not so much.

Although I believe that Gasol is still a viable and relevant NBA player, I believe all the confusion of LA has zapped his desire and competency. He is not capable of being a formidable low post player on a nightly basis but he should not be limited to the bench. A change of address — a panacea many are calling for — would merely be for the Lakers the act of cutting off their nose to spite their face. If he departure is so desired, do so after the season and get a better quality of player(s) to replace him with and while Mitch Kuchak is at it, find a better coach who works to unite his players as oppose to divide, unlike Mr. D’Antoni.